Gia Lai: A bustling Mid-Autumn Festival

In the house at 167A Phan Boi Chau Street (Quy Nhon Ward), Nguyen Minh Tu (born in 1992) is still diligently working with rattan frames, paper, glue, and paint. Born into a family with a tradition of making lion dance costumes, his parents started making molded lion costumes in 1992.

In 2002, he continued the family business, teaching himself how to make lion costumes, which are constructed from a rattan frame, covered with paper, painted, polished, and then fitted with eyes, pearls, and feathers. Because all the steps are done by hand, it requires patience and meticulousness. Therefore, a lion costume usually takes about 10 days to complete. To improve his skills, he frequently travels to Malaysia and China to exchange and learn techniques.

From that house, many lion heads are sent to various places, not only serving the Mid-Autumn Festival in the province but also appearing in many northern provinces, and even accompanying Vietnamese people abroad as a gift carrying the spirit of their homeland. For him, making lion heads is not just a family tradition, but also a way to elevate the traditional product, making each lion head more exquisite, durable, and beautiful.

As one of the young people working with Anh Tú in lion dance, Trần Hữu Lộc (a fourth-year student at Quy Nhơn University) came to lion dance out of passion and self-study. Lộc recounted: “Initially, I watched videos, then I learned by experimenting on YouTube. In 2016, I joined the Vạn Phát lion dance troupe. I learned step by step, from weaving the frame and adding the meat to decorating the lion's head. Each step was difficult, but it was the patience that made it enjoyable.”

For 25 years, the Ky Hoan Lion and Dragon Dance Club (headquartered at 127 Phan Boi Chau Street, Quy Nhon Ward; activities held at the Quy Nhon Nam Ward Youth Center) has demonstrated its love for this art form through inheritance and continuous innovation.

The club currently has about 40 members aged 13-25, who practice regularly in the evenings. What's remarkable is that after 25 years, the first generation remains dedicated, passing on their passion to the next generation. Thanks to this, Ky Hoan is not just a lion dance troupe, but also a place that connects and nurtures the passion of many young people who love lion and dragon dances.

According to Mr. Ho Lam Thuan, Deputy Head of Ky Hoan Lion and Dragon Dance Club: This year, the club has accumulated funds to buy more lion heads and new props, and has also created many performances such as LED dragons, luminous dragons, lion dances climbing trees to pick lucky branches... to serve the people, especially children.

Recently, the atmosphere at the Quy Nhon Nam Ward Youth Center has become even more vibrant during the club's training sessions. The athletes diligently practice difficult technical movements such as somersaults and moving on iron poles over 2 meters high. Each time a move is completed, the cheers of their teammates ring out, further motivating each other.

As one of the young faces who have been associated with Ky Hoan for many years, Ho Dang Khoi (born in 2008, Quy Nhon Nam ward) shared: “To learn the Mai Hoa Thung dance, I had to practice on the ground for 3-4 months, then another 1-2 years practicing on the platform. At first, I was scared, but the more I practiced, the more familiar I became, and the more I wanted to conquer it.”

It's not just men; girls also contribute to the diversity of the lion dance troupe. Vo Thi Nhu Quynh (born in 2007, Quy Nhon ward) has been practicing lion dance for nearly two years, training in lion, dragon, and traditional drumming.

Quỳnh confided: “When I first started practicing lion dancing on trees, I was very scared because the tree trunks were slippery, and I also had a fear of heights. Thanks to the encouragement of my fellow performers, I was able to perform for the audience. Once, while performing, I heard the audience praise how well a girl danced the lion dance, and I felt both happy and proud.”